Machine for gathering insects.



T. J. WHEELER. MACHINE FOR GATHERING INSECTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1911.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANouuAn-l co., WASHINGTON, n. t.

T. J. WHEELER. MACHINE FOR GATHERING INSEGTS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1911.

Patented Fb. 6, 1912.

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THOMAS J. WHEELER, OF LEWISVILLE, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOGEORGE M. MoKNIG-I-IT, OF LEWISVILLE, ARKANSAS.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING INSECTS.

Application filed June 29, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. WHEELER, citizen of the United States,residing at Lewisville, in the county of Lafayette and State ofArkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Gathering Insects, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to pneumatic machines for gathering weeviland cotton squares infested with weevil larva and pupa and other plantdestroying insects, and has for its object to provide, in a machine ofthe character indicated, a simple structure the operating parts of whichare wheel mounted, the machine having gathering nozzles adapted totravel at the opposite sides of a row of standing plants.

The machine also includes a suction fan for each of the nozzles whichhave discharge outlets into a pound or cage carried by the machine. Thispound is detachably mounted upon the machine and may be readily removedto accomplish the destruction of the gathered insects and material. Thenozzles are provided with flexible sections whereby the said nozzles mayoperate close to the stalks of the plants but which may be brushed awayfrom the plants should they come in contact with the same withoutinjuring the said plants.

In the accompanying drawings :F igure 1 is a side elevation of themachine; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the same cut on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the same; and Fig. 5 is a detail sideelevation of a modified form of nozzle that may be used upon themachine.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference characters,

The machine consists of an axle 1 to the ends of which are fixed groundWheels 2. A tongue 3 is provided with bearings 4; in which the axle isjournaled and an operators seat 5 is mounted upon the rear end portionof the said tongue. Arms 6 extend rearwardly from the tongue 3 and areprovided with intermediate arched portions 7. Fan casings 8 are mountedupon the intermediate arched portions 7 of the arms 6, and a shaft 9 isournaled in the sides of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 636,124.

said fan casings. Within each fan casing 8 the shaft 9 carries a set offan blades 10. A pulley 11 is mounted upon the intermediate portionofthe shaft 9 between the fan casings 8 and a pulley 12 is fixed to theintermediate port-ion of the axle 1. An endless belt 13 passes aroundthe pulleys 11 and 12 and is adapted to transmit rotary movement fromthe axle 1 to the shaft 9. The casings 8 are provided at their rearsides and at their lower portions with discharge outlets 14. Intakepipes 15 are connected at their upper ends with the outer sides of thefan casings 8 and communicate with the interiors of the said casings.These pipes extend down along the outer sides of the said casings andthen under the bottoms thereof and are downwardly disposed at theirlower end portions and spaced one from the other. Flexible hose sections16 are connected with the lower ends of the intake pipes 15 and metallicnozzles 17 are connected with the lower ends of the hose sections 15.The said nozzles 17 hang pendent and are flattened at their lower endswith their long dimensions transversely disposed to the line of draft ofthe machine. Chains 18 are connected at their lower ends with thenozzles 17 and at their upper ends with hooks or eyes 19 and may be usedfor drawing the nozzles together, whereby they may be made to operateclose to the stalk of the standing plants. -A pound 18 is detachablymounted upon the rear portion of the arms 6 with its forward sidebearing against the rear sides of the arched portions 7 of the saidarms. The upper and rear portions of the pound 18 are closed by a wirescreen 19 and the said pound is provided at its upper forward portionwith an opening 20 which is adapted to register with the dischargeoutlets 14 of the fan casings 8. Hooks 21 are pivoted at the ends of thepound 18 and are adapted to engage pins 22 located at the outer surfacesof the sides of the fan casings 8.

The machine is especially adapted to be used for gathering boll weeviland the squares of cotton plants containing the larva and pupae of thisinsect, although it may be used to advantage for gathering potato bugsand similar insects. As is well known, as soon as the squares of acotton plant become infested with the larva and pupae of the boll weevilthe said squares become loosened upon the plant and eventually fall tothe ground. If these squares fall in places exposed to the sun for anylength of time, the heat from the sun will eventually destroy the larvaand pupae, but if these squares fall on spots which are shaded by thefoliage of the plants the larva and pupae will live and will eventuallydevelop into adult weevils. Therefore when the machine is used upon astand of plants infested with the weevil, these squares are gatheredfrom the ground under the foliage of the standing plants in a manner aswill now be explained.

As the machine is drawn along a row of standing plants, the fan blades10 are maintained in rotation by rotary movement transmitted from theaxle 1 to the shaft 9, as has been explained. The blades create asuction draft through the intake pipes 15, hose 16 and nozzles 17, andthe said blades create a force blast through the discharge outletopenings 1st of the fan casings. This blast may escape through the wirescreen 19, but the particles of solid material carried by the blast willstrike the said screen and will fall to the bottom of the pound 18.Therefore as the lower ends of the nozzles 17 pass over the weevil atthe surface of the soil and the squares, the said weevil and squares aresucked up through the hose 16 and intake pipes 15 into the fan casings Sand are discharged from the said casings by the action of the blades 10through the outlets 14 into the pound 18. Inasmuch as the nozzles 17 areconnected wit-h the intake pipes 15 by the flexible hose sections 16 thesaid nozzles may operate close to the stalks of the plants and under thefoliage of the plants and draw up the squares which lie in placesprotected from the sun by the foliage of the plants. Should the nozzlescome in contact with the stalks of the plants they will not damage orinjure the same, for the reason that the flexible hose sections 16 willpermit the said nozzles to brush by the stalks. The flattenedconfiguration of the nozzles 17 will also assist materially in enablingthe nozzles to remove the material from the surface of the ground inclose proximity of the stalks. At the same time the nozzles will retaintheir designed configuration even though they might occasionally come incontact with stone or other obstruction, for the reason that they areformed from sheet metal and for the further reason that the flexiblehose sections 16 will permit the nozzles to sweep over the saidobstructions. Under normal conditions the flexible hose sections 16 willhold the nozzles 17 approximately in vertical positions.

In the form of nozzle as shown in Fig. 5 the hose sections 16 areconnected with branches 16 which in turn are connected with a singlenozzle 17 having a V-shaped opening at its lower end. This nozzle maystraddle a row of small plants which as the machine moves along the rowwill pass through the said V-shaped opening,whereby the one nozzlecollects the weevil at the opposite sides of the row.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

A machine for gathering insects comprising a wheel mounted axle, sidearms arched at their intermediate portions and mounted at their forwardends upon the axle, a pair of casings mounted upon the intermediatearched portions of the arms, a shaft journaled in the casings, fansfixed to the shaft and located in the casings, said casings having inletopenings and outlet openings, a pulley mounted upon the axle andoperatively connected with the shaft at a point between the casings,intake pipes communieating with the interiors of the casings and locatedbehind said pulley and at the opposite sides thereof, and a poundmounted upon the rear ends of the arms and communicating with the outletopenings of the casings.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS J. WHEELER. 1,. sj

.Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

